Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers at Northwestern Wildcats
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Written by: Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
What: Indiana Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0) at. Northwestern Wildcats (2-2, 0-1)
When: Saturday, October 5 at 3:30PM
Where: Martin Stadium in Evanston, IL
How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.
Pregame Festivities
Game Watch at Upstairs Pub pres. by Brothers Bond
Doors Open at 11am (First 100 people get a free Bison Mafia t-shirt)
Uplands Gameday Lager just $4 for every IUFB game this year
New state of the art room (fully functioning ticker, (5) 100" HDTVs, the old IU scoreboard from Assembly Hall
Series History
It is the 83rd meeting between Indiana and Northwestern, a series that dates back to 1899. The Wildcats own a 47-35-1 lead in the series and have won five of the last six games. This is the first matchup between the two schools since 2019, a 34-3 IU win. The Hoosiers have not won in Evanston since 1993.
What’s at Stake
For the Indiana Hoosiers the stakes are simple. Win and you have secured bowl eligibility before heading into your first bye week with a 6-0, 3-0 record and a likely top-20 ranking heading into a homecoming date with Nebraska on October 19th.
For Northwestern, it is a little bit more complicated. The Wildcats have not looked like the team that went 8-5 with a Las Vegas Bowl win over Utah in 2023. A win would help turn the page heading into the meat of their schedule, while a loss just raises more questions on what direction their program is taking.
A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Red Zone Scoring
The Indiana Hoosiers led the Big Ten in red zone scores with 25 and red zone touchdowns with 22. That trend will have to continue on Saturday. Setting for short field goals is a great way to find yourself on the wrong end of an upset. Possessions may also be limited as Northwestern will try and shorten the game. Northwestern on the other hand has only allowed nine scores in 13 red zone attempts.
2. Fixing Turnovers
Before the four turnovers against Maryland last week, Indiana had not turned the ball over this season. IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke made some uncharacteristic mistakes against the Terps early and fumbled in the fourth quarter, Northwestern’s defense poses a similar challenge in that routes that were wide open in the first four games will be better covered this week. Add in a potentially stiff wind and it is just another obstacle to overcome. IU will not have to deal with wet weather so the fumbles in the run game should be fixed.
3. Pressure Wildcats Quarterback Jack Lausch
Sophomore Jack Lausch has taken over the starting job from Mike Wright. The Chicago native started at quarterback in the Wildcats’ last two games and while he has shown some promise, is still very raw. The Hoosiers defense, led my Makail Kamara and Lanell Carr Jr. have been able to put immense pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Setting an edge and keeping Lausch in the pocket is key, he can run, while letting the rest of the defense put pressure on him can lead to mistakes. Lausch has completed less than 50 percent of his passes and has thrown two interceptions.